(en español después) On Friday, October 8, 2010 LAUSD Chief Academic Officer Judy Elliott
sent me a letter saying that she was going to submit my name to the
LAUSD Board for dismissal as a teacher. In retrospect and in culmination
of more then a year long campaign of harassment against me, the
following facts are surprisingly undisputed:

-
Nobody in LAUSD administration has ever read my responses to the
completely fabricated charges against me or ever reviewed any of the
rather conclusive evidence I have submitted on various occasions clearly showing that
none of the charges against me ever took place. LAUSD administrators
have even admitted they have never read or done any independent
investigation at meetings with myself and UTLA representatives.

"Credible allegations of sexual misconduct involving children""Allegations of serious criminal acts""Acts of workplace violence resulting in or threatening serious physical injury"- reports and investigations that never took place- 120 days time limit on administrative leave that is presently at 8 months in my case

At the meeting with Dr. Elliott on Friday I again submitted evidence
that clearly shows none of the charges against me ever took place. In
the letter that Dr. Elliott sent me 2 days later with her intention to
submit my name to the LAUSD Board for dismissal, she says, "I have
carefully considered the conversation at the meeting and the information
and documents that were provided to you prior to the meeting," but she
never acknowledges the documents that I gave her at the time or the
documents I have given to LAUSD administration over the last year of my
railroading.

At the Friday meeting with Dr. Elliott, I agreed to take a polygraph
test if my Principal Janet Seary agreed to do the same. It is not likely
that LAUSD will take me up on this offer. Also on Friday, the news
covered LAUSD's program to stop the bullying of gay students in their
schools. It struck me kind of funny that the bullies at LAUSD were
proposing a toothless anti-bullying policy, when they have set the tone
in school culture that permits the bullying in the first place by placing its concerns over Average Daily Attendance from the State of California over any real considerations of engaging all students in education.

Instead of being the one place in our society where we attempt to
inculcate students with values and the education to implement them,
public education remains the reactionary force that tries to insure the
continuation of the failed status quo. I remember my old government
teacher Marvin Katz from Monroe High School telling me that while the
freedom of the 19th century was seen as the freedom from oppression, the
freedom of the 20th and the 21st for that matter is the freedom of
expression. Whatever happens to me in the protracted legal process that
is sure to follow, I will always express my objection to LAUSD
dishonesty, because of the values I learned from being educated in the LAUSD of a bygone era.

As I start to organize with other educators around the country who share
my experiences with their own school districts, it would be very
gratifying if some of my colleagues at LAUSD finally found the courage
to talk about what they know - even if they did it anonymously.

Even if I live long enough to be vindicated in the courts, I will still lose because the District will be left holding the bag for the liability that rightfully belongs to LAUSD's present administration.

3 Comments

Yeah, the District is basically running only to serve its own interests. Unfortunately, many sicophants populate positions of power and only get to the top of the pay scale to get as much money as possible for as little work as possible. Why doesn't someone expose the District for the failing bus without wheels that it is?

The District is an empty shell that continue to rule only because teachers and others who want a better system have abdicated their responsibility to posit a viable alternative. LAUSD rules by default. Even those within LAUSD administration are trapped by this long failed model of public education. I am presently working to create a national response to deal with the LAUSDs in ever major city in this country. Working to a positive alternative is better than remaining in a dialogue where it is clear the other side isn't listening

i would like to retain my anonymity. i thought you should know about the waste. i'm sure you've heard about the cameraman who takes pictures for the LAUSD webpage and how the job pays over $100k. For years now, lurking in the local district offices theres an admin with the same pay range who is referred to as the "data guy" that position is being extended as a coordinator position on campuses. case in point: at garfield high school there is a data guy, at the top of the pay scale, who is the coordinator in charge of "data." whatever the qualifications are, i'm going to assume the individual should be skilled with math, statistics, and the Student Information System. the guy sits in his cave, with a B.A. in geology, and makes about 150k with all the overtime he is alloted. he gets his data from the SIS clerk and passes it on. someone had some guilt and made him responsible for advanced placement testing, but he says he cant go anywhere near the test because his relative is about to take tests and it is contrary to the AP rules for him to come in contact. im sure the lausd inspector general can avert away from this on